The Last Vet's Lachrymosity
by woof-chan1
Summary: Leila always prefered animals to people, and so, became a vet as soon as possible. She kept a few close friends. When one day her close friend comes asking for help concerning three wounded puppies, she immediately gets to work. She does what she can but time has to do the rest. As she watches over their recovery, she notices they act oddly. Almost like humans. Rated T for language
1. Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. I do, however, own the plot and all OC's seen in this story. Therefore, don't go bringing any legal stuff here. **

**Thank you for taking the time to read this. **

**Onwards!**

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Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor

I had just sat down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn when I something from outside. It sounded like a heavy object being dragged along the floor. I stood up with a sigh, my curiosity getting the better of me.

I opened the door to the front of my apartment and jerked my head back reflectively.

"Oh, sorry Leila." Lulu, one of my closest friends, apologised. She brought her hand down from knocking position.

"Were you about to head out?" She asked. There was the slightest tint of worry in her voice.

"Nah, I just thought I heard something being dragged out here. I came to check if it was a body." I joked. I stepped aside to let her enter. Lulu looked guilty when I said that.

"You weren't dragging a body along here, were you?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

"No, I was not." She glared up at me. Being a head shorter than me, she couldn't do much else. I never considered myself particularly tall; she's just a midget, even with the added height of her little afro.

"But, it was me." She admitted. I hung my head and sighed.

"I just made some popcorn." I said as I turned and began to head back to the lounge.

"Uh, Leila…" I stopped and looked over my shoulder at her.

"Can you help me carry this?" She asked in her most helpless voice, gesturing to a cardboard box on the floor behind her.

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**First chapter done. Other chapters will be longer, I promise. But this was to try get the feel of things. It will be relatively serious, but knowing me, some really lame jokes will be thrown in here and there. Until next time.**

**I'm out**


	2. Chapter 2: The First Treatment

**There is only one reason this is being posted up so soon... I got the most wonderful review ever. Falling-angel24, this is for you.**

**Onwards!**

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Chapter 2: The First Treatment

"This thing is heavy." I complained and was about to drop the box on the floor next to the couch when Lulu stopped me.

"Careful!" I raised an eyebrow at her sudden - rather unusual – outburst. I placed the box on the couch gently. I lifted one of the flaps to look inside when, once again, Lulu stopped me.

"Leila, before you do that, remember that one time I took a week off work to help you?"

"Yeah…" I replied hesitantly.

"And how you said that you owed me?" I rolled my eyes, instantly realising what she was getting at.

"What do you want?"

"I got some friends who aren't feeling well. I was hoping you'd be able to help them out and look after them."

"Lulu, I treat animals, not humans. You know that." I stated bluntly. I refused to work on humans.

"Just look inside the damn box." She huffed before stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth. I did as she requested.

I was surprised to say the least. Flabbergasted would probably describe it better. Lying on a bed of fluffy blankets were three puppies.

"Where…" I was unable to finish but Lulu understood.

"My neighbour's dog gave birth to six. They sold the others, but no one wanted these."

"So you brought them here?"

"They would be left on the streets otherwise. The lady likes animals, she just can't afford to keep them, and so she gave them to me." Lulu argued.

"But you're renting and aren't allowed to keep pets." I pointed out.

"But you can." Lulu stated.

"That's only if the patient needs constant observation." I had made an agreement with the land lord, a nice man, to compromise. I was allowed to bring my work home as long as I kept them in a soundproofed room. In return, I would give his pet free check-ups, anything more than the basics was taken off the rent I needed to pay. It had worked out well, and his cat, Spiffy, was such a sweetheart.

"They need help, Leila! They can barely move. They haven't been eating or drinking anything. And do you want to know the weirdest part? I've seen both the parents. Pure bred boxers." That sent me flying out of the lounge and into my bedroom. I changed from the fluffy pyjamas I was wearing to jeans and a T.

"Lulu, bring the box in here." I ordered. I packed all my things away quickly, shoving them into cupboards and draws. I shoved my desk into the middle of the room. My side table that held some of my equipment was dragged next to it. I flipped on all the lights in the room. Everything was good enough by the time Lulu dragged the box in. I helped her lift it carefully onto the table. I looked at the pups more carefully. One looked to be a golden retriever due to its coat. The other two had the reddest fur I had ever witnessed.

"There's no way these are boxers." I muttered. Their muzzles were far too sharp for that. One of the red ones lifted his head slightly. I saw his eyes were wide open. I looked at the other two to see they were also awake.

"I thought they were asleep… haven't moved at all." I said, horrified. Lulu kept quiet. I pulled on a pair of medical gloves. I picked up one of the red pups, the one who had looked up. It had a slightly darker patch above its left eye. A quick visual check, the basics. Heartbeat, normal. Temperature, slightly high. Male. I gently felt around his ribs and he gave a soft whine.

"Sorry." I whispered. After checking his legs, I placed him back in the box.

I did the same for the blond pup, also male, but as soon as I touched his foreleg he gave a loud yelp. I retracted my hand. I put him back in the box. The other red pup was the thinnest of the three. I picked him up before putting him back right away. Lulu finally spoke up.

"Aren't you going to take a look at him?" She asked, worry evident as I pulled off my gloves.

"I'm getting my keys." Lulu didn't say anything, just picked up the box carefully. We had known each other for years and it showed.

I drove as Lulu kept the box steady on her lap.

"What did you figure out?" She asked.

"They are all malnourished and dehydrated. The first red one is the most dehydrated, he also seems to have a broken rib, possibly two or three, several scars and some open wounds. The blonde's front paws are both bleeding heavily, I can't be sure as to the actual wound until it's cleaned. One of his legs also seem to be badly broken." I turned into my clinic's parking lot. I saw that Malinda's car was still there.

"What about the other one?" Lulu asked.

"I'm… not sure. He seems to have no muscle. But that doesn't make any sense considering their age."

"But you only held him for a second." She argued while climbing out the car.

"He was floppy; it was like holding a puppet." I took the box from Lulu and walked into the building.

"Malinda, it's already 8:30, shouldn't you have gone home?" I said as I walked through. Malinda was sitting behind the counter, but I could see the shock on her face.

"Leila? What are you doing back here?"

"Emergency." I called over my shoulder before going into the x-ray room.

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Malinda was attaching rips to the puppies as I looked at all the x-rays placed on the lit table. The red one with a patch had two cracked ribs and a fractured front right wrist. I also had a second, more thorough look at him. It looked like he had been hit with dozens of tiny explosives, but I wrote that idea off as ludicrous. He had a body shape of a border collie and the fur also had the same fluffy texture as normal Border collie pups. Not only was he an odd red colour, but he also had black rings around his eyes, almost like a racoon… or an emo.

I decided the blond dog was a golden retriever. His front left leg was completely shattered. I had no idea what or who could have done that. As for the bleeding on his paws, there was a wide slit on the sole of both. They had been cleaned and bandaged.

The other red pup had all his bones perfectly intact. After a proper look over, I noticed that all tendons and ligaments were just fine. He had so little muscle, it was negligible. Muscles only thin to that extent from misuse, mostly when someone's in a coma. The way he looked, he would have to have been in a coma before he was even born.

Lulu poked her head through the doorway.

"How are they?" She asked. I waved her in and went to prepare a syringe.

"They'll live; I'll make sure of that." I tapped the syringe a few times. I used to be so squeamish when it came to needles. They don't faze me in the least anymore.

"Do you know if they've had any vaccinations?" I carried on.

"I was told that they haven't been to a vet." Lulu answered. My eyes flashed with anger.

"What?" I asked, rage prominent in my voice.

"Hey, I took one look and brought them to you." Lulu defended herself, holding her hands up in defence. I shook my head, unable to understand how people could give so little care to their pet.

I sat down at the front desk, writing down all the materials I had used. I had sent Malinda home. She always worked so hard. She was a few years younger than me, still studying for her veterinary degree. I was helping her get experience with treating the animals and had also promised to hire her as a fellow vet once she graduated. She was a small girl of 23. She had long blond hair usually kept in a plait. Her kind face was accentuated by her large, light brown eyes.

I also sent Lulu home, saying she could come back during open hours the next day. I would stay at the surgery and keep an eye on the puppies. I stood and walked back to the cage where they were sleeping. I decided to place retriever and racoon-eyed one under anaesthetic but wouldn't for the other red one. He needed to be awake and move as much as possible.

I checked both drips that led to the puppies' foreleg. I pulled the swivel chair from the desk that sat against the wall. Placing it in front of the big cage, I seated myself, pulling my legs under me. I looked carefully at my injured patients. I would watch for any changes, good or bad. I would not let them die, no matter what.

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The red pup with black rings around his eyes was in a drug induced haze. On the edge of consciousness, but not able to sleep. He slowly came further from his comatose state, the medication wearing off slightly. His body was still numb, but he could take note of his immediate surroundings.

He tried to look to his side, but his body wouldn't allow the movement. He could feel the heat of another body on each side of him. After a few more futile attempts to look sideways, he gave up and looked forward. He could see metal bars a few inches in front of him. Past that was a woman, around her mid-twenties, asleep on a chair. Her head resting on her propped up hand. She wasn't beautiful, but not ugly either. Completely average. Her long brown hair was tied in a high ponytail, a few strands had escaped. Her legs were crossed under her so when she shifted she became unbalanced and fell off the swivel chair. She gave a surprised shriek as she landed, sprawled out on the floor. She sat up and rubbed her ankle.

"Shit, I must have fallen asleep." She muttered. Her eyes turned towards the cage. The red pup looked at her, noticing her emerald green eyes with gold flecks around the pupil. They looked at each other for a moment. The woman stood. She walked to the cage and peered at two see-through plastic bags that hung there.

"I'll have to give them a bit more." She said to herself quietly. She went out of sight but returned shortly with two more bags. They looked similar, but were fat with clear liquid. She was positioned so the pup couldn't see what she was doing. As she moved away, he began to feel drowsy again. His head felt unbelievably heavy but he forced it to lift slightly. Only then did he notice the thin pipes that led from the bags. One, he saw, led directly to him.

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**There, as promised, it is a much longer chapter. The next ones should be a similar length. As for update times, I plan to update all my stories on the weekends. So, usually once a week. Lastly, I have a poll and a facebook page, please go look at both. Until next time.**

**I'm out.**


	3. Chapter 3: More Patients and Pizza

**Here is another installment on time, as promised. Thanks for the feedback and favorites and follows. They make me all warm and fuzzy inside. So, without any further adue...**

**Onwards! **

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Chapter 3: More Patients and Pizza

At ten o'clock I called Lulu and told her to come and take over secretary work for a couple hours while Malinda helped me with a surgery.

"But I have work." She argued.

"So do I. You gave it to me." I retorted. She shut up and came to the clinic.

"Don't call me unless it's an emergency." I told her once she was there. She nodded and sat by the main desk.

"I should be done in under an hour. Being so small, I can't give them too much anaesthetic." I turned to get to work.

"Who are you working on?"

"The golden retriever."

"Not the red one who can't move?"

"There isn't anything I can do for him with surgery." I replied before walking away.

It went surprisingly well. We finished more quickly than I expected. It seemed as if a few of the bones had already reattached themselves somehow. I made a note to get someone in to check the x-ray. After rearranging the bone into the correct places, we stitched up the cut and placed a cast on it. I will admit, it looked slightly funny to see such a small dog with a cast covering his whole leg. I could just imagine him hobbling around. The gashes on his paws had also healed enough that they didn't need stitches.

The put was put into a separate cage from the others. Any infection would not help their healing. I gave him a shot of some painkillers but would let him wake up if he wanted to. Such a small body couldn't take too many drugs. I checked on the other two. Racoon-eyes was fast asleep but the other was awake. I sat on the floor to be closer to his height.

"You are going to get better; you just need lots of exercise. It'll build up all your lost muscles. You'll be healthy soon." I then stood up and went away.

I wandered towards the entrance of the clinic.

"I'm sorry; Dr Satomi is in the middle of a very careful surgery. She should be out soon." I heard Lulu say.

"I'm here now, I just finished." I announced and walked into the room. There was a man there, tall, with broad shoulders. I could easily see the muscles on his arms and chest through his t-shirt.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," I said, "how can I help?" I looked around the room discretely to see if there was anyone else who needed assistance.

"My dog got hurt." He said after a pause.

"How?" I asked innocently.

"I don't know," he replied quickly. "I just came home and saw it was injured." I raised an eyebrow but said nothing about it.

"Well, let me take a look." I walked to the room leading on from the reception. It had the metal table to place the animal and a scale next to it. There were cupboards lining one wall. A second door stood opposite the first. My computer and a pile of books and paper sat on a long desk against the other wall.

The man followed me in holding a lead. Connected to it was a giant dog, almost a metre tall. I could tell from the light brown coat and black mask that it was an English Mastiff.

"Okay then, let's put him on the scale." The man practically dragged the poor thing to the scale. I could see red patches where it had been injured. I checked the reading and typed it into the computer.

"He's a bit light for such a big size. You need to up his food rations a bit. An extra cup in the mornings and evenings will him up to a healthy weight quickly. However, he would start getting chubby then. Once you can no longer see the ribs through the skin, take away the extra cup in the evening. Can you lift him onto the table for me?" I stood from the computer and walked to the table.

"It's okay boy." I said gently as I petted the dog's head. I went through the general procedure of checking heartbeat, temperature and gums while talking to the owner.

"You have a wonderful dog here. Mastiffs are a lot like Great Danes: gentle giants. Kind hearted dogs." I looked at the wounds on the dog's neck.

"Not suited for fighting at all." I looked the owner in the eye as I said that, anger simmering inside me. I then went about the task of disinfecting the wounds.

"What are you implying?" The man questioned.

"Nothing at all. Just a passing thought." I said innocently.

"I once had three dogs come in here that had been rescued from the fights. The wounds here just reminded me of those." I just couldn't understand why people would do that. If you are going to have your dog for entertainment purposes, teach it some tricks. Don't let their blood spill.

It was obvious that the Mastiff had come out of a fight.

"Give him half a pill daily and gently rub a few drops of this on the open wounds with a piece of cotton wool twice a day." I handed the owner a little white Ziploc bag and a clear plastic bottle filled with pink fluid. He took the medication in one hand and the leash in the other. I walked with him out the office. I noticed someone else in the reception sitting on one of the benches with a cat box next to him.

"You can come through." He nodded and stood, picking up the box with care. I walked in after him but stopped at the door.

"If you gamble anymore, you won't be able to pay me next time." I told the tall man before closing the door behind me. I carried on with work, trying to focus solely on my patients.

After closing hours, I decided that I still had enough energy to do a surgery on the racoon-eyed pup. It was simpler than the other one. Less fragments of bone. Only a few fractures. Even the broken ribs seemed to be in a better state than what I had previously thought. It was over quickly. He was placed in a cage between the golden and other red pup. They were all sound asleep. Tomorrow I would take them back to my apartment. They would be started on soft foods then move onto pellets. Their bones would become as good as new and muscles regrown. They would become healthy and then… I wasn't sure what would happen after that. Lulu would have to take them back. She would figure something out.

It was 9:30 and I was getting hungry. I ordered a pizza 23 minutes ago and I was still waiting. I sat at the reception impatiently. They said they would be 15 – 25 minutes tops. What a bunch of liars. Another 3 minutes had passed before I heard the doorbell ring.

"Finally." I shoved myself off the chair and went to answer the door. There was a young man, around 20. I paid him, even gave him a tip, and took the pizza boxes. The two radiated heat as I locked the doors with my free hand.

Plopping down on the swivel chair in front of the cages, I rubbed my hands together eagerly. I could smell the cheese and various toppings. I felt myself close to drooling. I opened one box, placing the other on a nearby table. The scent of bacon wafted towards me. The pizza looked delicious.

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Since the dogs were now off the anaesthetic they could wake up freely. The golden furred puppy slowly opened his bright blue eyes. He blinked a few times and his nose twitched. Something smelt unbelievably delicious. He sniffed the air, trying to place the scent. He looked up, still half asleep, to see a woman with long brown hair tied into a messy ponytail that barely kept any of the hair in place. She has chomping on what looked like thin bread with a layer of cheese from his position.

The golden retriever tried to stand but his leg was hurting when he put pressure on it. He couldn't help but let out a whimper. Hearing that, the woman stopped with a second slice hovering in front of her mouth, she looked down at him. The dog was examining his foreleg. It was covered in a bright pink material.

"If you pick at that, you're going to have to wear the Cone of Shame." The woman whispered from in front of his cage. His head snapped towards her in shock. He had been examining his leg so intently that he hadn't noticed her approach.

"You heard me, the Cone of Shame." The woman said, misunderstanding the reason for his surprise.

"Don't worry though, if you don't damage your cast, you won't get it. Simple as that." Her voice was still soft, as if not wanting to wake someone. She gave a small smile. She went back to her chair and resumed eating. The puppy whined and did his best to look cute. The woman looked at him and he whined again.

"And what do you want?" She asked sceptically. The pup pointed his snout to the food in her hand. She raised her eyebrow but looked at her then back to the small dog and back again. She let out a small sigh before taking a single piece of bacon off. She slowly made her way to the cage. Looking longingly at the bacon one last time before holding it between the bars of the cage.

"I shouldn't do this… This is a great sacrifice, but I will do it. Just this once." The retriever happily took the meat and munched on it.

"You are one lucky dog, but don't think it's going to happen again. Bacon is bad for dogs… and humans, but let's not go into details." She carried on eating her pizza slice leaning against the cage door.

"How did you get your leg so messed up anyway?" she asked mostly to herself. The dog gave a bark and a growl.

"Um, I love dogs and all, but I don't understand them just yet." She said sheepishly. The dog gave a few coughing barks that sounded almost like a laugh. Surprised again, her eyes widened. She scratched her forehead.

"I think I need more sleep." She muttered, but carried on eating.

"Looks like I don't need to start you on soft foods." She mused to herself. The pup gave a snort, as if it found the idea absurd.

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**So... there ya go. Yes, it swaps from 1st person to 3rd person, I just felt like doing that. It's fun. I did it in the last chapter as well. It'll be important later on, you'll see, and you'll thank me. I'm going to be rather busy for the next week, so I may be a tad late. I will do my best to keep on schedule though. **


	4. Chapter 4: The Importance of a Good Name

**Hey there! Thank you for the wonderful support! I have also recieved some lovely reviews... I'm so happy T^T I won't delay you any further. Here is the next instalment.**

**Onwards!**

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Chapter 4: The Importance of a Good Name

"When can I expect to receive it by?" I asked the person on the other end of the call.

"We should have it to you in four days." He/she answered. I really couldn't tell what gender they were. The voice was androgynous.

"Thank you." I said before hanging up. I sighed and flopped down onto my bed. I looked at the large dog bed sitting on my desk that had been shoved next to the bed.

"What should we name them?" Lulu asked. She stood by the door.

"Let's get a better look at them to see some special features." I suggested. I slid off the bed again and looked at the pups carefully. Lulu stood next to me and did the same.

"I heard somewhere that Napoleon was a redhead." She said, not looking up. I turned the muscle-lacking pup over.

"His belly is slightly brown. He also seems to have brownish socks." I noted aloud. I could see the Border collie markings, but with red and brown instead of black and white. The dog seemed to glare at me so I turned him back over. I looked at the other red patch and noticed a slightly lighter patch on his back.

"The retriever's fur is slightly longer above his left eye." Lulu flattened the puffy fur and it went right over his eye. We both laughed a bit when she let go and it puffed right back up.

"I think he should be Panda." I said, stroking the ring-eyed puppy.

"Ooh, I like that." Lulu agreed, pointing at me. She picked up the golden retriever and twisted him around carefully.

'Limonchelo? Advocate? No, wait, Guiness." She declared triumphantly.

"Guiness is almost black in colour." I shot her idea down before it went too far.

"Aw." She huffed. "I don't know then." She placed the dog back down.

"What about the other red one?" I asked her. We thought in silence for a while, just looking at the puppy.

"Some food product would suit him." Lulu finally said. I raised my eyebrow but said nothing.

"Burrito!" she exclaimed.

"I concur."

"That was easy."

"What about the other one?"

"Are you sure Guiness is black?" Lulu asked.

"Yes. Yes I am." Silence fell again.

"Zapdos?" Lulu suggested.

"Isn't that a Pokémon?"

"Well, yeah. The flying electric legendary." 'She explained.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why?"

"He snarled." I lied through my teeth. I just didn't like the sound of it.

"How about Midas?" I tried.

"Midas?"

"Yeah, the king with the golden touch." I explained

"Oh yeah, I remember that story." She looked at the puppy again and nodded.

"I think it works." The puppy in question cocked his head to the side.

"So, Panda, Burrito, and Midas. This is going to be fun."

"Why do you sound sarcastic?" I asked. "I'm the one who is going to have to look after them." I pointed out.

"Well… They technically belong to me." She said hesitantly.

"Oh? So you'll be paying me for all the expenses of surgery, check-ups, overnight care, and the purchase of new equipment?" I challenged, sitting down on my bed.

"What equipment?"

"Something to help… Burrito." I replied, forgetting the name for a moment.

* * *

I lowered Burrito into the tank I was in, filled with water. The life jacket kept him afloat, but I stayed nearby. He didn't move at all. I pushed him forward slightly. He just let the water push his legs back.

"You need to try swimming." I told him, moving his legs in the way they should be going. Nothing. No reaction, no resistance.

"Come on, you have to at least try or you won't get better. There is only so much I can do to help." This had been going on for the past five days. I first tried the underwater treadmill I ordered, but it proved useless with Burrito. I just used the tank instead. I tried to get him to swim, just a bit. I hadn't had any success. The first few times it didn't work, I used simple massage instead. I wasn't going to give in so easily this time. He would move by himself. Even if it was just a twitch of the paw.

"Come on Burrito. Swim to me." I stood a foot away and held my arms out to him. I watched him carefully and noticed absolutely no movement. He just bobbed up and down thanks to the jacket. I sighed in frustration. Midas wobbled over and sat at the base of the tank, looking up at us. He gave a bark and Burrito replied with a growl. Midas seemed to snicker. Burrito looked up at me with a lot of effort. He snorted at me. I raised my eyebrow. I moved next to him and took hold of the handle on the life jacket. I pushed him forward gently. There was the slightest resistance, but his legs crumbled quickly. Midas let out a barking laugh and Burrito growled.

"Maybe I shouldn't push. Here, come to me." I went back in front of him and opened my arms. His one leg bent and moved forward. It pulled Burrito forward ever so slightly, causing his legs to all be pushed back. Unable to move anymore.

"Well done Burrito!" I picked him up and gave him a hug. "I think that's enough for today. Let's get you dry." I held him carefully as I waded over to the stairs. I placed Burrito on a towel I had set on the floor.

"That was really good. We just need to get you moving, bit by bit. You need to try moving outside the water though, especially your neck." I dried him as I talked. I was interrupted by growling. Looking over to the sound, I saw Panda and Midas standing across from each other, hackles raised and teeth bared.

"Hey, you two, break it up." I walked over to them and picked Panda up. He was still dehydrated but kept pulling the needle out whenever I gave him a drip. He had enough strength to drink by himself, so I just kept a close eye on his liquid consumption. But he was weaker than Midas because of it.

Panda looked up at me with pale green eyes. He seemed to have grown since I got them only two weeks ago.

"If you two keep fighting I won't give you any more treats." I threatened. Midas looked worried. He dropped his ears and widened his eyes. Panda blinked at me slowly, like he didn't care much. Why would he? They were dogs. They shouldn't understand what I was saying anyway. I heard a growl from the other side of the room.

"I'm coming Burrito, calm your tits." I replied slightly annoyed. I was just one person. Three puppies at one time were a lot of work. Midas seemed to snicker. I had become used to Midas making sounds like laughter and some other human noises. I had heard about pets who copied their owners, but I had never seen it myself.

I walked back to Burrito with Panda still in my arms. I put Panda down and went about the task of drying Burrito who watched Panda's every move.

"I really don't understand between you guys. You and Midas keep glaring at Panda. It's not very nice. Just try and get along, okay?" I asked with a smile, holding the floppy pup up so he could look me in the eye. Burrito huffed, looking away. I narrowed my eyes and finished drying him. I checked my watch. Panda, water time." I took Burrito and walked to the reception of the clinic, placing him on the bed behind the counter. Panda had followed me.

I put a small metal bowl filled with water on the floor. Panda lapped it up with no particular rush.

"You're looking a lot better. That's good, although I don't know what to do with you guys once you're all healed up. Lulu will have to figure that one out. She _is_ technically your owner after all." I said, mostly to myself. Panda snorted and shook his head wildly. He coughed a few times. He had gotten water up his nose again. It happened surprisingly often.

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**And there you have it. I know it's a little shorter than usual. (About 500 words) But I have my reasons! You see, I've written out the next few... many chapters by hand. Looking over them, I couldn't find a good place to stop. It was either here, or 1000 words later which would take another day to update... It was a difficult decision, I'll have you know. I wasn't just being lazy! I swear! Please don't kill me *Cowers in corner***

**now that that's out the way, please send me your love with reviews and cookies! Wait... I mean, I'll give you a cookie if you give a review. Yeah, that.**

**Until next time.**

**See ya!**


	5. Chapter 5: Dinner and a Horror Show

**I know I'm a bit late... by a few weeks, but stuff. So yeah... I'm sorry~ To make up for it, I'll post 2 chappies this weekend (also because this one's a bit short... sorry) maybe even a third if I have enough time. I want to do a lot of posts because exams are coming up and they're super important this year. So before I become a study bug (yeah, right) I give you the next instalment.**

**Onwards!**

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**Chapter 5: Dinner and a Horror Show**

They were refusing to eat the dog food again. And again, I caved in. They were happily munching on some mince I had fried up. I was able to resist giving them the instant gravy I had in the cupboard. I sighed at my weakness toward animals before taking a large bite out of my burger. I was enjoying the meal until I was interrupted by growling.

"Oh, for Pete's sake! Would you two cut it out already?" I was growing weary of constant growling battles between the Midas and Panda. It was grating on my nerves to no end. Burrito stayed out of it, but that may have been due to the fact that he couldn't actually pick a fight with either of the others and expect to win.

"Speak of the devil." I muttered when I heard a bark from the other room. I stood to leave the room but noticed that the other two were still going at it.

"If you two don't stop right now, I will take away your dinner and only give you dry pellets." I gave them both a stern look that promised them I was serious. They shut up pretty quickly and went back to eating.

"Good dogs." I praised before leaving to check on Burrito.

The red puppy was lying with his head in the food, just how I had left him.

"You're a mess." I noted looking at the food he had managed to smear all over his face. He growled at me in response.

"Fine, fine. I'll clean you up. Jeez, you're so impatient." I gathered a damp face cloth from the bathroom and gently picked Burrito up. Placing him on my lap, I cleaned up the sticky mince.

"Would you like more food?" I asked once I finished. The pup gave the smallest of nods. I placed a small heap of food in my palm and cupped it in front of Burrito. He quickly shovelled the food into his tiny mouth, yet took time to chew and swallow.

"I don't know whether you're hungry or not… but since you chewed that, I'd say not that much." I said to him. He scoffed at me. I couldn't believe it, but he did. I placed more food into my hand. Before he was able to inhale it all again, I moved my hand away.

"Ah-ah-aah. I don't want you choking, okay? You might be impatient but not everyone is. I honestly don't mind sitting here for twenty minutes, or even an hour, just feeding you." I told him, slowly bringing my hand closer. He paused this time before eating. Each mouthful was reasonably sized and properly swallowed before another bite was taken. It freaked me out how much they seemed to understand what I said.

* * *

Midas glared at Panda who was still eating.

"Do you want to eat those horrid pellets?" the red puppy asked, not bothering to look at the one he addressed. The golden pup's glare intensified before he looked away. Panda sat down, having finished his meal, and began cleaning his face with his tongue.

"What's taking her so long, hmm?" Midas wondered out loud.

"Worried about her?" Panda's voice only held the slightest hint of joking.

"Shut up, hmm!" Midas growled at the slightly smaller puppy. Panda just walked over to the couch and jumped up. He didn't quite clear the top and had to scramble and claw to get on properly. Midas laughed at the other pup. Panda lay down on the cushion and looked at Midas in challenge. The golden retriever grinned and trotted over, however, he more waddled than trotted. He poised himself to jump.

"Midas!" In his surprise, he unleashed the built up tension and jumped into the little table he was under.

"Don't jump on the furniture." A woman with long brown hair ran up to them. Midas looked smugly at Panda.

"Panda? How did you get up there? Anyway, well done. As for you mister…" She turned back to Midas. "Don't do that or you'll pull out your stitches." She scolded. Panda smirked down at him.

"Come here." The woman said sympathetically. She knelt down and gently picked Midas up.

"How about we watch a movie?" she stated, walking over to the TV, still carrying the puppy. She knelt and looked inside the small cabinet the TV sat on.

"Hmm, what should we see? Finding Nemo, How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo and Stitch, Rocky Horror, Little Shop of Horrors, Shrek?" She asked, mostly to herself.

"Ooh, one of those horrors, hmm!" Midas answered.

"She can't understand you." Panda reminded him. Midas snorted and used his muzzle to the two DVDs that had "Horror" on it.

"The Rocky Horror?" the woman asked, slightly surprised. Midas gave a nod and an excited bark.

"I never thought you as that type, but oh well. Let me get Burrito then we can start." She left the two alone on the couch.

"What does she mean as 'that type', hmm?" Midas asked, breaking the silence. There was a long pause.

"I don't have a clue." Panda finally answered.

* * *

I walked back into the lounge area that was open to the kitchenette but separated by the counter. Burrito sat calmly in my arms, looking around. As I approached the couch, I noticed a strange silence that had fallen over the other two pups. Burrito growled to announce his presence. Midas perked up and yapped in return. Burrito snorted. Panda stayed quiet, watching the other two. After putting Burrito down, I went about setting up the movie. I sat myself on the couch and attempted to pull all the puppies onto my lap. Realizing they wouldn't fit, I pulled up my legs. Sitting cross-legged, I tried again. Midas and Burrito began barking at each other.

"Shh, the movie's starting." I hissed as red lips showed on a black screen.

"I see you quiver with antici… pation." And the movie began.

The pups seemed slightly creeped out by the movie, especially Panda. When Midas noticed that, he laughed. Panda barked a short argument that shut Midas up quickly. In all honestly, I had to keep reminding myself that they were dogs. They acted so much like humans it was slightly scary.

"Oh, I love this song!" I announced, startling the three. I couldn't help but sing along.

"That drive you insa~ne. Let's do the time warp again!" If I didn't have the puppies on my lap, I would have jumped up and done all the moves. The pups all looked at me as if I had grown another head. I couldn't help but laugh at their confused and slightly repulsed expressions. I loved movie night.

* * *

**And that's that. I'll post again as soon as possible. Oh, and I don't own any of those movie/show titles. But I will say, Rocky Horror is a personal favourite as are all the movies mentioned above. I went to see it live... WORTH IT! Speaking of seeing things live, Foo Fighters are coming to my country, I wanna go! TT_TT Anywho! Please go look at my facebook page (link on profile) it is filled with pretty pictures. Also, poll on profile. Cookies! Doughnuts! Waffles! COSPLAY! etc. **

**Until next time**

**I'm out**


	6. Chapter 6: Pilots Bring Surprises

**IMPORTANT: I'm changing Malinda's name to Melissa. It suits her better. When I go back to edit previous chapters, I'll change it. may I also add, I'm early! So ha! Again, it's short, so I'll try to post one more this weekend. At the end of this, you may see why, ufufufu. Now...**

**Onwards!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Pilots Bring Surprises

It had been a month since I got the puppies. Panda had a major growth spurt that made him an inch taller than Midas who had also grown. Burrito was only slightly bigger. His muscles were also reforming. His neck was now strong enough to move his head freely. I had also seen his feet twitch sometimes. They were all healing well.

I had been busy at the Clinique. There had been a rumour of rabies going around, so owners all came to give their pets shots. Just in case, I also gave to the pups who came with me every day. They spent most of their time sleeping on the large dog bed behind the counter in reception. Midas would wonder around aimlessly while Panda seemed to converse with the friendlier animals. Burrito stayed where he was placed in the bed, of course. Whenever I walked past though, I noticed that he seemed to be concentrating on something.

One day when I was going through the usual routine of strengthening Burrito's muscles, I saw his leg shift ever so slightly forward.

"Burrito, did you just move your leg?" he shifted it forward another millimetre in reply. I squealed and hugged him to my chest.

"Well done! This is great progress! I should tell Lulu the good news." I pulled my phone out and dialled her number from memory. After a few rings she picked up.

"Leila? Is something wrong?"

"Why would you think that?"

"You never call me unless it's important, and for you, important goes hand in hand with bad." I was slightly offended by that.

"Actually, I have really good news. Burrito just moved his leg." I said excitedly, forgetting to be annoyed.

"That's amazing! I'm so – " I heard another voice on the other side of the line.

"Are you at the airport?" I asked after catching the voice say "boarding".

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm flying to Frostmarris soon." She replied casually.

"Who?" My curiosity was spiked.

"I think it's the personal advisor as the queen and some body guards. Nothing major."

"Correction: very major, but nothing new." I told her sternly.

"Sorry, but I have to go now." She wasn't really sorry.

"Okay, don't crash. That jet's expensive." I reminded her jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah. Bye Leila. I'll call you when I land." Lulu ended the call. I doubted she would actually call me. She got distracted easily. I just hoped she packed enough warm clothes.

A week after that, Lulu called to say she was going to leave Frostmarris soon. She was tired of the cold. I walked out to the reception.

"Melissa, can I see this month's books?" The younger girl handed the thick book over. I flipped through the pages and looked at the numbers.

"Thank you. I'm going to head home now, you should do the same." I handed the tome back to her before gathering Burrito up in my arms. Panda and Midas followed behind me as I walked away. I stopped at the door and looked over my shoulder to Melissa.

"Remind me to give you a bonus tomorrow. I have a terrible memory." I smirked at her before leaving. The last few months had brought in a lot of money. I had also been putting a lot aside in savings for quite a while now. I would soon be able to afford the luxury trip to Kibarashi that I had been planning for a year. As soon as Melissa had her degree, I would have a wonderful extended holiday. A full month touring around Kibarashi after a two week cruise. I needed some time off.

I lay Burrito on the dog bed next to my own.

"Midas, you're sleeping on my bed tonight. Panda, I'm going to hook you up to a drip. You haven't been drinking enough. Besides, you'll be asleep." Panda glared at me.

"I promise that this will be the last time." I placed my hand over my heart for emphasis. "Hey, I'll throw a treat in. Tomorrow morning I'll give you… bacon. Good?" Panda snorted and jumped onto my bed then the table. He lay as far as he could from Burrito while still being on the bed. He had grown again. Panda was now almost double Burrito's size. He still seemed highly cautious of the other pup though.

I gently pushed the needle into Panda's extended foreleg.

"I need to be up early tomorrow." I reminded them as I got myself ready for bed. Melissa had gone on a short holiday after she saw her bonus. I was happy to give her a week off. She worked hard. She had called earlier that day, checking on everything and assuring that she would be back in three days. Lulu was away again, meaning I was by myself at the clinic.

"Midas, come here." I called. A ball of yellow fluff crawled out from under my bed. As soon as I had taken his stitches out two days prior, he also had another growth spurt. Not as big as Panda though. He was still smaller than the racoon-eyed pup who he still picked fights with. I lifted Midas onto my bed. Panda was still glaring at me.

"What?" I asked, getting slightly creeped out. I snapped my fingers as I remembered something. I rummaged around the bottom of my cupboards for a while.

"There you go. A new friend." I placed my treasured stuffed toy bunny next to Panda.

"Bunny loves everyone, so don't worry about what he thinks of you. He is also a very comfy pillow. I speak from experience." I explained with a smile before crawling into my own bed. Midas was already asleep on my pillow, taking up half of it.

"Night guys." I quickly fell asleep.

"AAAHH!" I screamed blue murder and fell out my bed. Midas jumped up in surprised and looked around for danger.

"You – you…" I couldn't form a coherent sentence. Midas gaped when he saw what I was pointing at. Sitting in the dog bed was a small boy with bright red hair and a needle in his arm that was connected to the now empty bag. The boy looked at his hands and flexed his fingers.

"How odd."

* * *

**PLOT TWIST! Lulu's a pilot! Omagawsh, who would have guessed? Oh, and there's this random kid who kinda just appeared in Leila's room. But that's nothing important. I will post soon so you can get more information on our favourite pilot! The kid may be properly introduced too... hehe.**

**Until next time. **

**I'm out**


	7. Chapter 7: Pilots Bring Surprises Pt2

**Here is the last instalment for this weekend. I'll do my best to keep updates on a regular weekly basis from now on. If anyone is wondering about my other stories... let's just say I've got a bit bored of them. Don't worry though, I'll pick them up again soon. I just noticed that FF doesn't keep double spaces, so all my paragraphs are messed up ToT no fair. I'll have to go back and fix them. But, without any further adieu...**

**Onwards!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Pilots Bring Surprises, Pt2

The boy looked at his hands and flexed his fingers.

"How odd." He said. By the voice and appearance, he seemed to be around six years old.

"Who – who are you?" I asked him, gathering Midas up in my arms in case I needed to bolt. The boy looked at me.

"You called me Panda." He stated. My jaw hit the floor.

"So, you're saying that you're a dog?" I didn't believe him for a moment. It was impossible. I took very slow, very small steps backwards. I then noticed a pair of red, floppy ears on top of his head as well as a little red mark above his right eye. There was also the black outlining his eyes.

"For a short period of time, yes." He answered my question the looked at his arm.

"Uh, could you take the needle out?" I nodded dumbly and did as requested, unable to say anything. Midas, who I had placed back on my bed, growled at the boy who glared right back.

"You really are Panda." I stated, completely shocked.

"Wait." I paused as the realization hit me. "If you changed into a human, will the others as well?"

"I'm unsure about that. However, we were originally humans." Panda explained.

"That would explain so much." I muttered to myself, thinking back to all the times they refused dog food. All those times they showed human emotions and reactions. My head hurt.

"Oh shit." I kneeled on the floor, my head in my hands. "I am _so _sorry." I apologized to all of them.

"What for?" Panda asked.

"Sticking a thermometer up your butt." I looked down, embarrassed at what I had done.

"We were only half conscious when that happened. I don't even remember it." Panda tried to comfort me.

"Oh, okay… uh, let me find you some clothes. Then… then we can head off." I stood up, still in a daze. My mind was fuzzy, nothing was making any sense. I rummaged through my cupboard for something that may help cover Panda.

* * *

Panda explained everything on the drive to the clinic. He didn't want to, but I made him. Bloody hell, if I had to look after them for so long, I _would_ have my answers.

"I'm guessing your real name isn't Panda, is it?" My mind had cleared somewhat after having calmed down from the initial shock.

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"Sabaku no Gaara."

"…" he sighed when I just looked at him.

"Gaara."

"Okay then, Gaara, why were you a dog?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know how you transformed back?" he shook his head in reply. I sighed at the lack of information. It only made me more curious.

"Alright, let's try something you should know. Why do you and Midas always fight?"

"He attacked my village." Gaara glared at the dog in question who was in the back seat.

"Whoa, that's pretty hectic…" I glanced between Gaara and Midas. "What village do you come from?"

"Sunagakure."

"Sorry, I don't know where that is. What country?"

"I doubt you would know it." He turned to look out the window.

"And why is that?"

"We don't come from this world." I pulled into my personal parking bay and switched the engine off.

"So let me get this straight. You were a human when Midas attacked your village, then you somehow turned into a dog and are now halfway to turning back. Have I missed anything? Oh right, you come from a different world." The sarcasm thickly coated my words. Gaara looked at his hands. I sighed and took a deep breath to calm my frayed nerves. I was a woman of science! None of the events made any sense to me. It was physically impossible! The only fact that I could even begin to believe any of it was that Panda – I mean Gaara – still had ears and a tail of a dog. I tested, they were attached to him. That, and Midas was constantly glaring at him.

"Come on, I'm going to need an x-ray of your new skeletal structure." I opened the door and climbed out. I got the two dogs out the back seat before noticing that Gaara hadn't moved.

"I don't know how to get out." He stated, sounding slightly annoyed. He didn't seem to allow much emotion to show at all. I held in a laugh and settled with a small smirk.

* * *

I was just writing down the earnings from the last patient in the book when Gaara walked past. He had been doing his usual wondering around the clinic.

"I was just thinking, how come Midas growls at you instead of the other way around. I mean, he was the one who attacked your village." I asked the boy who seated himself on one of the chairs in the waiting room.

"I was the one who destroyed his arm." He replied casually, trying to hide his smugness.

"You what?" I blinked a few times, sire that I had just heard wrong.

"I destroyed his arm." He repeated.

"Okay… Next question: why the hell would you do that?" I had to stop myself from shrieking.

"He attacked my village. The people were depending on me to protect it. That is my job as Kazekage." He said as if explaining to a child.

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up for a moment. So you're the protector of this… Sunagakure you were talking about?" I shocked beyond belief.

"And it's leader."

"What!?" he covered his sensitive ears.

"How old _are_ you?"

"Sixteen."

"Okay, no. Just no. there is only so much a person can handle." I was sure I was losing my mind. Maybe it was just a dream. Yeah, my imagination had turned Panda into a human to make up for their human-like actions. Or maybe, there were no dogs to begin with. That's right, the puppies were a lie.

"You asked." I was still going along the path into utter madness until a customer walked in. Attention diverted, I was back to normal within three seconds.

* * *

As soon as I got a moment away from prying ears, I pulled out my phone, quickly punching in Lulu's number.

"Hello?" She answered groggily.

"I thought you gave me dogs, not psycho, multi personality mutants!" There was a lengthy pause.

"... Say what now?"

"You're puppies turned into people." I said very slowly.

"…"

"Well, just the one, and not fully. I mean, he still has ears and a tail and still…" I was now blurting everything out at alarming speeds, tripping over my own words. Lulu stayed absolutely silent throughout. "And now I'm calling you because I'm freaking out!" my voice getting faster and higher at the end.

"Help me." I whispered pleadingly. There was another extended pause.

"Huh… what's the date?"

"I don't think that's important right now."

"You sure it's not April 1st?"

"No!" I yelled, losing my temper.

"Oh… I'll be there within… seven hours." I sighed.

"Better late than never. Please hurry."

* * *

The moment I got home, I went straight to the computer. I searched all over the internet for an explanation. Some answers, a little bit of information. I got nothing. After an hour, I gave up. Midas lay on my bed and Burrito was where I always put him on the large dog bed. Gaara was looking at my book collection. I got up without a word and left the room.

Gaara walked into me frying bacon.

"What are you doing?" He asked, ears perked up showing his curiosity.

"Making comfort food." I answered simply. I then noticed that he had no eyebrows since they would have gone up if he did. I dumped the pork products on a plate and took it to the TV. I flopped down on the couch. Flipping through the channels, I began munching on slices of the meaty goodness.

"May I ask you some questions about this world?" Gaara asked politely.

"Sure, don't see why not." Gaara sat next to me on the small couch.

"What are the metal objects used as transport called?"

"Well, you could mean planes, cars, or trains. I'm going to assume cars though." Gaara looked at me blankly. I then realized I had been speaking to fast again.

"The one we were in earlier?" I asked. He nodded.

"Those are cars. You get many different types, but they're all the same in the end. Then you get trains. They're like really big cars put together that have to run on a track." Gaara nodded at my explanation.

"What about these 'planes' things?"

"Oh, imagine a giant car with wings. It goes really fast. Lulu flies them as a profession."

"Flies them?"

"Yep."

"They fly?

"Is it really that odd? I suppose I'm used to the idea." I mumbled to myself mostly. "Well, they do. You'd need to ask Lulu on detail. Actually…" I trailed off, not sure if I should carry on.

"Actually?" Gaara asked.

"Oh, nothing." I waved it off. I stuck another piece of bacon in my mouth.

"You treat animals for a living?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Usually just cats and dogs, but I sometimes get farm calls, or a budgie, parrot, hamster, etc. comes in."

"Who is the other girl?"

"Oh, Melissa? She's still studying but I think she has potential, so I hired her to help her get experience. She agreed to work alongside me when she graduates."

"How long until she graduates?"

"Mm, only a couple more years. Let's see, she's 23 now, started at 18… so 3 more years." I finally answered. Gaara did a quick calculation.

"Eight years of study?"

"Yep, I finished when I was 27 because I started from a younger age." Gaara looked surprised. _Do I look old to you? _I thought, slightly offended.

"What about others?"

"Well, the time spent learning depends on the degree you choose. Some people are happy with their matric and don't even get a degree."

"So you don't need a degree?"

"Most higher paying jobs require one."

"Do most people start schooling at 18?"

"Not at all. We start at kindergarten and crèche. Then, at the age of 6, we go to grade 1. Each year they get promoted to the next grade until they reach grade 12, aka: matric. They are usually 18 by then." I answered. Gaara processed the information for a moment.

"You have a very long and extensive learning system." He finally said.

"It's not really my choice." I knock on the door interrupted me. I jumped up to answer it.

Lulu stood there holding a box.

"Please don't tell me anything living is in there." She laughed at me and opened it to show me. There was a selection of different biscuits inside.

"Phew, you're welcome inside now." I stepped aside to let her enter. She let out a loud squeal.

"You are so cute!" She rushed over to the boy on the couch. "What's your name sweetie?"

"Gaara." He answered, seeming slightly shocked.

"Would you like a cookie?" Lulu pretty much shoved the box in his face.

"Those ears aren't fake. That's Panda." I stated. Lulu looked at me and then back to Gaara who had a chocolate cookie in his hand. Lulu tugged at one of his ears.

"Ow."

"Eep! That's too cute!" She squealed. I followed Gaara's example and covered my ears.

"God, you're as bad as Kate." I muttered.

"Hey, have you heard from her lately?" Lulu asked, attention quickly redirected.

"Yeah, I got a message a few days ago. She should be back in a few more months." I informed.

"That's good, I haven't seen her in ages." Lulu said with a smile.

"Who's Kate?" Gaara asked, reminding us of his presence.

"Oh, a close friend of ours." Lulu replied casually.

"So… you were Panda?" Gaara nodded. Lulu promptly fainted.

"Well, shit." I sighed.

* * *

**And that's that. I'm guessing you have a guess as to why Gaara changed back, but I'm not telling o(^-^)o Anyway, review please~ They make me happy. Also, Facebook, poll, yaddi yadda. **

**Until next time**

**I'm out**


	8. Chapter 8: Distasteful Experiences

**Do you wanna know why I didn't post yesterday? I don't care, I'm going to tell you anyway! I was COSPLAYING! Yeah, eat that. I am pretty proud of myself too... anyway, I have skipped on some pretty important homework to get this out and I couldn't shorten it... So you get a chapter 1000 words longer than usual. Since that will take time to read...**

**Onwards!**

* * *

Chapter 8: Distasteful Experiences

I was able to revive Lulu by waving some fresh popcorn in front of her nose.

"You were meant to help, not faint." I scolded.

"Sorry, low blood sugar." She said, munching on a cookie.

"I doubt that… how much sleep have you had?" I questioned, taking a seat on the couch.

"Err…" Lulu hesitated, causing me to sigh.

"Forget it. We have more pressing matters at hand… oh, and Gaara is actually sixteen." I stated bluntly. Lulu choked. "And from a different world." I leaned back. "Please do tell me how that's possible."

Lulu looked to Gaara who gave a small shrug. Lulu held her head between her hands. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Ya don't say?" I retorted sarcastically.

"Gaara, tell us what happened." Lulu said, regaining some sense of sanity.

"What do you mean?"

"How you got here." She explained.

"I don't know how."

"Then what happened before you came? Do you have any significant memories?" Lulu pressed.

"I was unconscious."

"Why?" She was relentless.

"I lost in a battle." Gaara looked away, ashamed.

"Against Midas." I pitched in.

"Yes, you will need to ask them what happened."

"Wait, wait. Back up a second or four. He was knocked unconscious by a _dog_?" Lulu questioned, sceptical.

"Midas is also a human like Gaara. So is Burrito." I explained.

"…This is a lot to take in."

"No duh." I wasn't feeling very sympathetic. Lulu was the one who dumped the problem on me to start with.

"Alright then, let's think. Since they're dogs, we can't understand them. Haven't you asked them Gaara?" Lulu tried, grasping at straws.

"Yes, however they refused to answer."

"Well… why don't we ask them and you can translate?" She suggested.

"I can't understand them much anymore."

"What?"

"Seeing as he's mostly human now, it's not that surprising." I said.

"Okay, think Lulu, think…" she tapped her chin.

"I suppose we'll have to wait and hope the others transform back into humans as well." She sighed. I nodded in agreement before looking back at Gaara.

"What about Gaara?" I asked. He just blinked at me.

"What about him? Well, despite being a teen in a kid's body with dog ears in a different world."

"We need a story. I have no children and people know that." I stated bluntly.

"Oh…" Lulu plopped down on the floor ungracefully. "If you were a guy, you could pull the whole _'one night stand had a child and gave him to me'_ shebang." I glared at Lulu who burst out laughing.

After calming her down and slapping some sense into her, Lulu became mildly serious.

"How's this: say he's your niece-"

"Nephew."

"-and you're now in custody of him." She suggested. "No one could see if you were lying without _loads_ of research."

"And the ears and tail?"

"Dress up. Wanted to impress his new mother. Something along those lines." Lulu shrugged.

"Sounds good enough." I nodded. I could easily work out some of the holes in the story.

"You have a sibling?" Gaara spoke up.

* * *

The racoon-eyed boy watched as his host's eyes darkened. A shadow passed over her face. Lulu began worrying.

"Eh, um… here, have a cookie." She shoved the backed good into her friend's mouth.

"I'll… be back soon." Leila stood and left the apartment. The dark skinned girl sighed and hung her head.

"Was it something I said?" Gaara asked, looking at the open door.

"Don't worry; it's just a bit of a touchy subject for her." Lulu went and closed the door. "She'll be back soon enough. She just went for a walk to cool off." She looked at Gaara and sighed.

"You're curious. Can't say I blame you after she pulled that stunt… well, it's not my place to tell what happened – Leila needs to do that on her own – but I will tell you the main point." Lulu took a deep breath. "About a year ago, Leila's brother died. Now, she blames herself for it. Why she does is for you to figure out."

Gaara was silent. The tale was somewhat sad, but people from his world had far worse. He was one such case.

"However, that is why you could pass as her nie – nephew. I believe that you needed to know this in order to play the role effectively. Don't let us down." Lulu ruffled his hair and stuck her tongue out at him.

* * *

I had taken up to running when I became upset. It was a good stress reliever. I had lost all the chubbiness I had before my brother died… was killed. The image flashed brightly in my eyes. The noise. The blood. The pain… I ran faster trying to leave the memory behind me. I knew that wasn't how memories worked, but it was a nice thought.

I had to stop. I still wasn't very fit. Twenty-five odd years of loafing around did that to a person. I looked up. It was already sunset. I was sure that Lulu would have told Gaara about the circumstances. I was glad that I wouldn't have to. Thinking about my situation, I decided that I should not have gone running in my work clothes. Since I learnt all the puppies were actually humans, it seemed strange to change near them. Thinking that, I went back to my apartment.

Checking my pockets I realized I had forgotten to bring keys with me. I knocked and Lulu was there in quickly.

"Welcome back master, may I take your coat?" She bowed and spoke in the most pompous voice possible. I raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Why is Gaara asleep on the couch?"

"Hehe, funny story…" Lulu said, back to normal.

"What did you do to him?" I asked tiredly.

"Nothing! I swear! He just fell asleep in an instant." Lulu tried defending herself.

"Hmm… he wasn't sleeping much. It makes sense."

"What do you mean?"

"He barely slept unless he was on medication. Maybe you said something?" I looked at her in question.

"We were just chatting about mythology. He seemed interested until he suddenly went to la-la land."

I shrugged. "Who knows? Are you staying the night?"

"Nah, I've got work soon."

"Which one?"

"Kitchen."

"Alright, I'll see you out."

"Trying to get rid of me, are you?" Lulu teased.

"Of course." I rolled my eyes but smiled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm planning to collapse on my bed as our friend Gaara has demonstrated so nicely." I said while Lulu skipped into the hallway. We shared a friendly hug then she skipped away. How she had so much energy at that hour was beyond me.

* * *

"Gaara~" I called softly as I shook him gently. One eye cracked open slightly only to glare at me.

"Well, if you don't want breakfast or new clothes, you can sleep in." He rolled over and fell off the couch. I tried not to, but I couldn't help laughing.

"Come on." I helped him up. He was still using one of the large t-shirts I used as pyjamas. He practically drowned in the fabric.

It was surprisingly difficult to get Gaara awake and ready to leave. Once he and the puppies were in the car, we set off.

"Alright, Gaara, this town is small and most people know me. You will need to stay in character… is that my bunny?" I glanced over at Gaara who was buckled up in the passenger seat. He looked at me then his lap.

"… Yes?" he was still groggy. I sighed.

"Anyway, act cute and shy. Being shy will stop people asking too many questions. I suppose the bunny will help." I realised I was probably talking to myself at that point. "Oh, Midas." The dog perked up at his name. "You'll have to wear a lead. Sorry, but rules are rules." I pulled into a free parking spot.

"First, Burrito, you're going in my bag." Midas barked a laugh while Burrito glared at me. I put my hands up in defence. "Hey, since you can't walk, you have to be carried." He was lucky though. I always hated handbags so I used sash-bags. I had been nice enough to pad it for him. Even after I explained that to him, he still shot me daggers. If looks could kill, I would have been murdered by a puppy. I shrugged and took out two collars.

"Do you want the brown one or the pink, sparkly one." I asked Midas with a grin, raising each item respectively. The golden retriever then copied his comrade in expression.

"You guys have no sense of humour." I grumbled while putting the plain collar on Midas.

"You won't give me trouble, right? No running off or pulling on the leash." I told him sternly, attaching the thin leash. "If you do, your wounds may reopen." I warned. "And do you have any idea how long those are taking to heal?" _Not nearly long enough._ I answered myself. It was actually worrying how quickly all three healed. Maybe it was a trait from their world, or the fact that they were turned into dogs. I wasn't sure.

Midas nodded, oblivious to my worry. I helped him down and put Burrito into my bag after slinging it across my chest.

"Gaara, check. Midas, check. Burrito, check. Wallet… check. Alright, all ready to go!" I cheered. We set off. Gaara was next to me, clinging to my hand with one of his while the other clutched my bunny. Midas hobbled slightly in front of us, sniffing around. Burrito was resting from what I could see, but I never knew with him.

I remembered within moments of stepping through the entrance why I didn't cross that particular threshold often. I despised shopping with a passion.

"I want to go home." I deadpanned.

"We haven't even been here a full minute. Don't girls enjoy shopping?" Gaara asked.

"Yes. They do… crazy bitches. I don't see why!" I ranted. Gaara sighed.

"I don't understand women." He muttered. Burrito seemed to snort in agreement while Midas snickered.

"Don't worry. Neither do we… or maybe it's just me… huh." I shook my head as my mind wondered. "Anyway, let's just get this over and done with." I then proceeded to rush them from store to store, not spending much time in any of them. If Gaara or I saw something decent, he would try it on. He changed surprisingly fast. Had had several different pants and tops within an hour. I loved short lines. I had even taken the liberty of getting a full stock of toiletries for him as well as extras for when the puppies changed into humans… if they changed. I was heading to go get groceries when I was stopped by a little boy.

"Such a cute puppy. Can I pet him?" He asked. "Uh, please?" He added as an afterthought. The boy still held his mother's hand.

"Of course, Midas is very well behaved." I gave the pup a look to make sure he understood. "Gust be gentle, he's still healing up." I said to the boy with a smile. He must have been no older than five. The boy's face split into a huge smile. He gently petted Midas on the head and stroked his back. The mother walked up to me.

"Doctor Satomi? From the vet clinic?"

"In the flesh." I smiled.

"Do you remember Tina?" she asked hesitantly.

"The female Maine Coon who came in with a bladder infection, correct?" The woman was surprised. Well, the cat had been brought in over half a year ago.

"Y-yes, that's her. You see, she seems to be… well, strange. She's been acting odd for a month now. She'll hiss at you one moment then rub against your leg the next." I tapped my chin thoughtfully.

"Has anything changed at home? Different food, neighbours moving, construction work, etc."

"Well… the only thing I can think of is that my son is going to school now."

"Ah, so she's lonely. Cats are just like humans when it comes to that. They all react differently too, meaning there are different solutions." I glanced over at Midas quickly before returning my attention to the woman. "The best option, and my favourite, is to get another cat if you can afford it."

"Well, my son was begging for one…" I couldn't help but smile.

"If you do get a new cat, I would suggest getting a kitten. They are not only more trusting, but also more likely to get accepted by pets which are already there. If you pop by the clinic, you can get a pamphlet on how to raise a little fluff ball." The woman said her thanks then left with her son.

"Aren't you meant to get paid for your services?" Gaara asked once she was gone.

"I didn't need to study for eight years to tell that a cat is a bit lonely. I used my own experience over twenty or so years. I don't see that as me working as a vet." We carried on walking. I, rather suddenly, stopped, eyes sparkling. I dragged the boys into a store.

"They have the new Whispered World game!" I squealed as I looked at the box.

"_And _a remake of Abe's Oddesy? Awe~some~." Four males looked at me. Two pups, a human-dog hybrid, and the man by the counter.

"Hey, do you have Assassins Creed Unity?"

"Is that Leila?" I muffled voice called from behind a door behind the counter.

"Long haired female carrying animals, who else would it be?" The clerk joked. The door opened to reveal a man carrying a box. His pale brown hair was a bit on the long side, pushed to the side as to not obstruct his vision, showing his bright blue eyes.

"Need some help with that Kettu?" I offered.

"I'm fine Lee." He walked past me.

"Don't call me Lee!" I whined.

"Then don't call me Kettu."

"Then what am I meant to call you?" I huffed while he opened the large box.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe my name?" He retorted.

"That's so dull." I grumbled. I went over to him and helped him unpack the new shipment of games.

"I'm at work. It's more formal than everyday life. I meander into you clinic calling you nicknames." He explained.

"You never come to my work." I deadpanned.

"… Touché, but still… wait, I don't have any pets. Why would I come to your work? Anyway, no nicknames at work, deal?"

"Yes Chris, Mr. Killjoy."

"Yeah, yeah… hey, why are you only using one hand?" Chris peered at me. Gaara peeked past my shoulder. They looked at each other for a while.

"Who's the kid?"

"My nephew." I concentrated on packing away the games, not looking at Chris.

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh~? You're taking him in?"

"Until a better option opens up, yes. Say hello Gaara."

"H-hello." He stuttered, pulling off the shy act flawlessly.

"Hello Gaara, do you like Leila?" Chris asked sweetly. Gaara nodded.

"She's my new mommy." He mumbled, clutching my stuffed toy bunny closer. This didn't go unnoticed by Chris. He looked me right in the eye.

"You gave him your bunny?" he asked in disbelief. "You wouldn't even let me _touch_ him."

"It's more like a temporary loan." I glared at the game store owner in front of me. "Come on Gaara, we should leave before Chris' grudge holding rubs off." I smirked.

"Oh yeah, it's highly contagious. I caught it from Leila." He retorted.

"You can't blame me for still being angry about that." I glared at him as I spoke.

"Come on! That was _years_ ago."

"No. we're leaving. Call me when you get the new Assassins Creed game… or anything I'd enjoy." I then left the store, Gaara in tow. The man behind the counter laughed.

"Shut it Brandon!" I ordered, storming out. "You're also at fault!"

"You seem to know them well." Gaara noted.

"Yeah, I've known them since high-school. May I add, your performance was stunning." I ruffled his hair. "Well done." He looked away. I then felt Midas tugging on the lead. He was looking up at a sign above a shop entrance.

_The Art Place_

"Do you want to go look inside?" He nodded eagerly. "Well, okay then. Don't break anything. I led him inside. It smelt like art.

"Leila?" a girl behind the counter called.

"Oh, hey Juliet." I greeted.

"I don't see you in here often."

"Yeah, the puppy seemed interested… do you know when Kate's getting back?" I asked.

"She didn't give me an exact date. You know she never does."

"It was worth a shot." I shrugged. "Mind if I let Midas loose?"

"The dog?" she peered over the counter. "You break it, you buy it." Juliet then began sketching. I bent down and unclipped the leash.

"Behave." I ordered sternly. I turned to the boy holding my hand. "Do you want to look around too?" Gaara shook his head.

"I would ask why you have a child, but I probably don't want to know." Juliet said without looking up. Midas barked.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He was in front of a selection of different clays. I looked at him, to the clay, then at him and again. He wagged his tail cutely. I sighed in defeat. Picking up a tub of play dough, I went to the counter.

* * *

**And there you have it. A super long chapter where nothing much happens. Yes, I know AC unity isn't out just yet, but it will be soon enough. As for Whispered World... It's amazing. I'm waiting for number 2 to come out. I'm so excited! Anyway! Inner nerd calmed somewhat. Facebook, poll, you know the usual drill.**

**P.S. I don't like this chapter's name. If you think of something please tell me. Oh, and one of the characters you met this chapter is IMPORTANT. Guess who :P**

**Until next time**

**I'm out.**


	9. Chapter 9: The Urge to Protect

**Sorry about the delay. You know how I was cosplaying last weekend? Well, I had a dance show this weekend, hence the no update. Seeing as I'm home sick today, I thought I might as well do something productive. I'll do my best to post a second chapter before the weekend to make up for that and this one being a little shorter than usual. **

**Onwards!**

* * *

Chapter 9: The Urge to Protect

I sat on the couch, watching Midas mould the different coloured goo with difficulty.

"So you were a clay sculptor as a human." It wasn't really a question. Ever since I bought Midas the dough, Gaara had kept far away. I asked him why, but he refused to answer and continued to read. The play dough was formed into a misshapen bird. Midas had used his claws to create markings. His paws were a mess.

"That's so cute!" I gently picked up the bird. "Very impressive considering the lack of thumbs." Midas wagged his tail at my compliment. I paused and looked at him slowly with a wide grin.

"I could make a fortune off you." He backed away as I began to laugh manically.

"Think about it: a dog that can sculpt. It's unheard of! But meh, too much effort." I put the bird next to the TV.

"There we go, a place of honour." Midas nodded and began sculpting again. "Now… where did I put Burrito…"

* * *

Midas had grown quite a lot. So had his ability to sculpt. I was still amazed by his canine dexterity, even after a month. People had stopped asking about Gaara, so he was able to relax somewhat. He still clung onto my toy bunny. It was a rather humorous sight considering it was half his size. Burrito was doing much better. He was able to move his legs, but didn't have the strength to stand just yet. Thanks to that, I was finally able to use the treadmill. Once he was walking, his muscles would form much faster. I was just waiting patiently. Him? Not so much. Every time I stopped the exercise, he would growl, even though he was tired out. Every time I would have to convince him that it was still progress; that he had to be patient. I usually got irritated and snapped. My fuse was only so long. The fact that I had to put off my self-gift also made me annoyed. Stupid curses or spells or whatever was on the puppies. We were still waiting for the others to change back so we could figure out why they turned into dogs in the first place. It was still a complete mystery.

My train of thought was interrupted as my alarm went off.

"Alright, everyone up. I've got work today." Gaara rolled over. I took my bunny from his clutches and he woke up.

"My bunny." I said hugging it close. He just glared at me.

"My bed, my bunny, my house, my rules." I stated. "Go shower." He grumbled as he climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. At first I was worried about sharing a bed with him since he said he was sixteen. However, he acted how he looked most of the time. It didn't feel like he was a teen. He was just a child, no matter how I looked at it.

Once everybody was fed and lunch was packed, I piled them all into the car. The day started just as usual.

"Morning Melissa." I greeted as I walked into the clinic.

"Good morning Leila, good morning Gaara." She greeted the boy with a sweet smile. She adored him.

"Hello." He said in return.

"How's my schedule today?"

"Busy but bearable." Mellissa responded, looking at the appointment book. And so the work began. Gaara kept busy by reading most of the time. Midas still growled at him, but Gaara ignored the puppy. I often saw Burrito on his back moving his legs around. I knew that soon he would be back to perfect health.

* * *

The day trudged on. All my appointments had been dealt with and I was about to pack up when the door opened. I recognised the dog before I recognised the owner. A beautiful English Mastiff. Marred by bleeding gashes covering his body. The huge man who kept him on a tight lead was also very memorable.

"You came just in time. Come in, I'll treat him immediately." The man followed me to the adjacent room. He lifted the dog onto the metal table. I noticed quickly that they weren't old wounds that had reopened. I would treat the dog first, and then deal with the owner. That's what I decided, and that's what I did. As I set about cleaning the wounds, I vaguely noted that Melissa had gone home early. She said she was feeling a bit under the weather. I pushed all other thoughts away as I concentrated on my patient.

I looked up at the owner as I took off my gloves.

"I'll be keeping him overnight. Some of his wounds need to be stitched up." I wasn't telling a lie. Some of the gashes warranted a few stitches, but they would still be fine without them. I just didn't want this dog to suffer any more.

"Stich it now. I can't come back tomorrow." The man stated in a gruff voice.

"Is it that you can't come or that you need your dog for something?" I glared at him.

"What are you implying?" he glared back.

"Nothing yet. I was asking a simple question."

"That's none of your business."

"I'm afraid it is. As a vet, I have taken an oath to help each animal that comes through these doors as best I possibly can. That includes your dog." I heard my voice rising with every word. "If you carry on making him participate in fights, I won't stand by idly. I will have to put a stop to it!" I yelled in his face. His eyes narrowed.

"What makes you think I take it to fights?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

"Oh come on, I'm a vet! Do you really think I wouldn't know what a dog bit looks like?" The realization of my stupidity then hit me. I shouldn't have said anything. It was an incredibly bad choice on my side. I could've kept quiet and slowly tried to extract information then call the police.

All my brief musings proved correct as the hulking man launched himself at me. Luckily for me, many years gaming as a child increased my reaction time enough to dodge his punch to my face. I scrambled out of the room. He thundered after me. I saw him look away from me. Looking in the same direction I saw Gaara looking at us with no readable expression. The large man smirked. Fuelled by rage and fear, I tripped him. It didn't work as well as I hoped, but it gave me enough time to rush over to Gaara. The man stalked over to us. I stood over Gaara protectively. I closed my eyes, waiting for the man's raised fist to connect to my face. A shadow passed over me but I felt no pain.

Was I dead? Is that why there was no pain?

Slowly, I cracked open one eye then the other. I was inside some sort of barrier, solid and dark. It bean crumbling around us. I glanced at Gaara who didn't seem fazed in the least. The man stood dead still, eyes glued to his arm in alarm. I followed his gaze and saw his arm, from his fingers to his elbow, was encased in sand.

"Leave. _Now_." Gaara ordered in a surprisingly threatening voice. The sand constricted. The man paled and began backing away.

"**Out.**" Gaara growled. His voice warped, sounding truly terrifying. The man fled.

* * *

I sat on the waiting room couch, trembling. A few minutes had passed, but I hadn't said anything, just shook with fear and shock.

"W-what happened?" I asked the boy shakily. Gaara looked at me.

"You were attacked." He answered simply. I breathed slowly and carefully, trying to calm my frayed nerves.

"I know that much. Why aren't I hurt? What was with that sand?" Gaara paused before answering again.

"I controlled it." I stared at him. He stared back.  
"You're serious?"

"Mostly."

"Mostly?" I asked sceptically.

"The defence erected itself."

"But you used the sand to surround his arm?"

"Yes." I couldn't help the urge to rub my temples.

"Man-dog controlling sand… what's next?" I grumbled. "Alright," I looked him in the eye, "explain fully." Gaara closed his eyes for a moment, deciding what to say.

"In my world, I was always able to control sand. However, since coming here, my chakra system has been disrupted. I believe the scene just now restarted it." He explained carefully.

"Chak-ra?"

"The energy present in the body used to do most things as a shinobi."

"Can the others use it?"

"Luckily not." I looked over Gaara.

"What exactly happened between you guys?" Gaara paused before sighing.

"The exact details of the battle are rather… lengthy. However, all that is needed to know is that he infused his clay with his chakra. The creations would come to life before exploding. He also has an irritating nasal grunt." An annoyed bark came from behind the counter.

"That's why you were so twitchy when I got him the play dough." I realized. I looked at the large clock on the wall.

"It's getting late. Let's go home for today."

* * *

**Tada! Am I bad person for enjoying writing this chapter? Oh well, it was fun. Maybe I'll do a little filler chapter next. Something random and not serious. It would be short if I did. Tell me what you think. **

**OH! And for those who guessed who the important person was last chapter...BZZZT! All wrong XD nice try though. **

**Finally: your reviews make me so unbelievably happy. Would you like if I did little replies in the AN here as I've seen others do? **

**Until next time**

**I'm out.**


	10. Chapter 10! Filler Fun!

**SO! Here is the big ONE-OH. This is just a couple of mini chapters in one. a bunch of fillers really. I feel like the time passes too quickly and people (myself included) forget that the characters have already been together for quite some time. It's been about 2 months now. Gaara has been in the body of a 6 year old for about half that. This is to show some of that time that passed is filled with happy - rather random - memories.**

** Anywho, idea for Better Read Than Dead comes from Princessbinas.**

**ONWARDS! **

* * *

Chapter 10! Filler Fun!

**It's a Dog's Life**

"Midas~" I growled through clenched teeth. The place was a tip. "How many times have I told you…" I couldn't even finish my sentence as anger shook my body. There was play dough _everywhere. _My hands were balled into fists to stop myself ripping out all my hair. The puppy in question just wagged his tail and looked at me with big eyes.

"Clean it up." I narrowed my eyes at him. He barked. Damn him and his being a dog. I would get him back. An evil grin crept onto my face. "Okay, I get it. You're a dog right now so you can't clean. I'll do it. Just don't do it again." I said chirpily. Midas looked rather taken aback with my sudden change in attitude. I got to picking up all the bits of coloured goop while humming to myself. Glancing over to Midas, he looked terrified. Haha, he should be.

After a good half-an-hour, the room was finally lacking the previous splotches of dough. _How in the world did he get the stuff on the roof?_ I shook my head in exasperation. I don't think I even want to know. Some things were best left unknown. Ignorance is bliss and all that. It was almost dinner time by then. Gaara was reading a book in my room. Burrito was on the dog bed. Midas had disappeared, probably worried about my emotional state. He should be. He was going to take my full wrath… but he was still just a dog. I had a soft spot for animals. My "full wrath" would be a muted, more subdued version.

I placed two plates on the table and two on the floor.

"Dinner!" I called out. Gaara and Midas wondered over. I picked up Burrito from the couch and put him by his food bowl. Gaara took his seat opposite me and we began eating. Midas let out a sound of confusion. I peered over at him

"What's the matter pup?" He looked up at me and narrowed his eyes. He sat with a determined look. "Well, if you're not hungry, don't eat. No need to glare." I shrugged and went back to my own meal. Midas growled. I tried to hold back a laugh. Gaara looked at the noisy Puppy to see what the commotion was about. He raised a non-existent eyebrow.

"Why…" He let the question trail off. I tried to keep a straight face but couldn't help the slight smirk that came.

"If he can't clean up because he's a dog, then he must be treated as such." Gaara simply shook his head and returned to his own meal. Burrito, who looked over to the blond pup, snorted. It sounded like he was also trying not to laugh.

_Serves you right brat._ He said to the retriever.

_Shut up, hm._ The mess maker in question glared in return. He then glared at his bowl filled with dry dog food pellets. Ah, sweet revenge. Sure, it was petty, but his reaction was worth it. Maybe he would think twice about pulling the puppy dog eyes next time he did something wrong. If he didn't… well, I would need to step up my game. A grin spread across my face. My mind already conjuring up my next plan.

* * *

**Better Read than Dead**

Gaara picked a book off the shelf. He was slowly making his way through the collection. Leila had a wide variety of genres, although half of the books she owned seemed to be fantasy. The rest consisted of fiction, historical, sci-fi, some poetry, and everything in between.

"Oh, starting a new book?" Leila peered at the object in Gaara's hand. "That's the second one in the series." She pointed to a different book with a similar cover. "That's the first one. The third one's over there. It's quite gruesome but it's one of my favourite reads." Leila gave him a smile. She then walked towards her bedroom, retying her ponytail as she did.

"I'm gonna play a game of Dota. You'll be fine by yourself for the next hour or so?" Gaara nodded. Leila smiled again before disappearing. Gaara went to sit by his usual spot on the couch. He placed the trilogy by his feet. Picking up the first large book, he began reading.

Gaara had already gotten through four chapters when he heard a clicking sound near him. He quickly recognised it as dog claws on the stairs next to the cough – which Leila had thoughtfully placed there for easy access. After quickly having noted it and deeming it to be unimportant, Gaara ignored the sound and carried on reading. The book was pretty interesting so far.

The small, blond pup looked at the redhead who was nose deep in a book. With his canine eyesight, the pup couldn't make out the title, let alone the words in the blurb. The hindered sight bothered and irked him to no end. After being reminded of that fact, he decided to take it out on the boy in front of him. It was his fault anyway. Him and his stupid books. Constantly reading, as if to rub in their doggy faces. Midas grinned, showing his sharp canines. He decided to take a subtle approach to the matter at hand… or rather, at paw. He sat for a few minutes, thinking carefully about what he would do. He also knew that his mere presence kept the boy on edge. The pup sat there patiently. One minute had passed. Two minutes. Ten minutes.

Gaara just turned another page, not even caring about the harmless puppy next to him. Why? He knew that Leila had confiscated the play dough out of sheer irritation from the constant mess that she always had to clear up. He was surprised she hadn't snapped earlier. He was also completely engrossed in his current novel. The cleaver mixture of assassins, corruption, and magic made for a thrilling plot. Leila had also been correct, it was quite gory, but not unnecessarily so.

The puppy looked to the boy for any indication that his presence had an effect. Seeing none, he decided to move onto his first plan. He lay down, resting his head on his paws. After half a minute, he stood back up, circled, and lay down again. He curled up then stretched back out. He kneaded the cushion. He rolled onto his back, paws in the air.

"Gaah, so uncomfortable, hm." He said, knowing that even though the boy could only understand him a little, it was enough. He stood and circled again. Gaara cast him a brief glance before going back to his book.

Midas settled himself down. Less of a reaction than he had hoped for. He closed his eyes. The sound of turning pages and the occasional shout of "Die you twat-faced bastard!" and the likes from Leila were all that could be heard that quiet Saturday afternoon. After a few more minutes, the pup felt the "urge" to scratch himself. He sat up and let his back leg scratch his side as all dogs did. After a minute of that, the "urge" subsided and he lay back down. He sat up once again to get his other side only moments later. Gaara shot him a quick glare. It lasted no more than half a second before the book recaptured his attention.

A particularly loud string of curses came from Leila followed by angry, inaudible ramblings. The puppy began gnawing at his back fur. He noticed Gaara narrow his eyes, trying to concentrate on his book. The retriever stood, circled, and sat again. He alternated between gnawing and scratching. He added a few snorts here and there.

Gaara took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. He shifted his own seating position so his back rested against the arm of the couch and his feet were on the seat, knees bent to not take up too much space. The pup at the opposite side of the couch tensed up, cautious as to the boy's movements. After another five minutes of nothing happening except the steady turning of pages, Midas relaxed. He went back to his innocent yet irritating antics. One minute passed, two minutes, five. There was no reaction from the racoon-eyed boy. He once shifted to get comfortable, sliding down slightly, but nothing more.

He was getting no reaction. Not a glare, not even a glance in his direction. Midas was becoming more irritated. He narrowed his eyes at the boy. He was about to give up and leave when his nose suddenly became itchy. He shook his head and snorted to try get out the dust that must have gotten into it. A little, completely unforced, doggy sneeze escaped him. Gaara's eyes snapped to the dog, glaring with a fierce intensity. A foot which had been inconspicuously been place behind the pup jerked forward, suddenly kicking him off the couch. Midas yelped in surprise and the fact that he hit the floor. He stood up quickly and glared at the boy who glared right back.

"What the hell was that for, hm!?" he barked angrily.

Gaara slowly put his book down and sat up. He stood and towered over the puppy. In one swift motion, Gaara had picked Midas up by the scruff of his neck. Said dog yapped and squirmed, trying to his head around to bite his captor. Gaara strode to the door calmly. He opened it and dropped the pup in the hallway.

"Stupid mutt." He said with disdain before closing the door. He went back to his seat to continue his reading in peace.

"Eat that mother fucker! HA-HA HAA!" A loud exclamation came from Leila's room.

* * *

**Hairy Conversations**

I was pulling my hair into its usual tight ponytail before leaving for work.

"Why do you always tie your hair up?" Gaara asked, surprising me. I never expected a question like that to come from him.

"Well, it gets in the way while working otherwise. It's impractical." I said after a little thought. Gaara nodded, seeming to accept the answer.

"What about when you're at home? You still have your hair tied up." My eyebrows raised in surprise. He was pretty observant for a kid. I quickly reminded myself that he wasn't actually a kid, but a teenager. I scratched the back of my head, slightly embarrassed.

"I don't really like how my hair looks when it's loose." I admitted.

"Then why not cut it?"

"I have the type of hair that if you cut it, it kinda poofs up and looks like a tent unless you straighten it every morning. I don't have the patience or time for that." I explained. I felt that it was a very odd conversation, but Gaara didn't seem fazed. He just nodded at my answer. I was confused as to why he even brought the subject up.

"Why are you asking? Thinking of getting a haircut? I can organise one if you want." Gaara shook his head.

"No, just curious." He stated, leaving the room quickly. I noticed him glancing at my hair-ties briefly though. _The hell?_ I gathered up my bag and began to leave. The birthday calendar that hung on the fridge caught my attention. There were a few of my friend's birthdays coming up soon. One of them was, oddly enough, named Leila. Wait… Gaara wasn't… was he? No way. Impossible.

Was he thinking of getting me a gift thinking it was my birthday? No freaking way. I wanted to laugh.

"Oh, I need to give Leila a call soon. Her birthday is coming up." I said as if musing to myself but loud enough for Gaara to hear.

"You have a friend with the same name as you?" he questioned.

"Yeah, but she's like my polar opposite." I held back the laugh that threatened to burst out when I saw his shocked expression. "You didn't see that and think it was my birthday did you?" I teased. Oh. My. God. Did his cheeks redden? Seriously? Not only was I right, but Mister-no-expression Gaara was _blushing_! I really wish I had a camera to save the rare occasion.

I would have felt bad for laughing, but I was laughing too hard.

* * *

**IMPORTANT! I need to know how you liked this chapter. I may do this again if I get to 20 chapters. If so, I would greatly appreciate any ideas you may have. Also, if you didn't like this chapter, say so and I won't do another. **

**Princessbinas, loved your idea XD I just had to use it. **

**Finally, I haven't got any reply about the review.. replies? I don't know what to call it, but my response to reviews. Don't be shy. **

**Until next time**

**I'm out.**


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